How do I troubleshoot WorkSpaces image creation issues?

Resolution

Note: You can't create WorkSpaces images on Windows 10 systems that you upgraded from one version of Windows 10 to a newer version of Windows 10. This restriction includes the Windows 10 feature and version upgrades. Also, you can't use a Bring Your Own License model (BYOL) for Linux WorkSpaces.

Run the Image Checker

To troubleshoot WorkSpaces image issues, run the Image Checker, and then resolve any identified issues. If you resolve the identified issues and still can't create a WorkSpaces image, then review the following common causes and troubleshooting steps.

Note: The image description must be a single line. WorkSpaces doesn't support multi-line image descriptions for image creation.

Quota reached for WorkSpaces images in a Region

WorkSpaces has a maximum quota of 40 images in each AWS Region. If you exceed this quota, then you can't create a new image. To create a new image when you exceed the quota, you must request a quota increase.

Encrypted WorkSpace

You can't create an image in an encrypted WorkSpace. To create an image, use an unencrypted WorkSpace.

Windows WorkSpaces image creation fails

If image creation fails in your Windows WorkSpace, then take one or more of the following actions.

Check your configuration

If you're running an antivirus or security agent on your WorkSpace, then turn it off during image creation. If a WorkSpaces service (services.msc) uses a domain AWS account, then change the service account to Local System, Local Service, or Network Service.

Check that the PowerShell launch policy in the WorkSpace allows RemoteSigned scripts. To verify the value, run the following PowerShell command:

Get-ExecutionPolicy

If the output isn't Unrestricted or RemoteSigned, then run the following command:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

The preceding setting lets you run scripts on WorkSpaces, and is required to create an image.

Check that your WorkSpace has the required components to create an image.

The WorkSpace that you create an image from must not be assigned to a user within a Domain Guests group. To verify whether there are any domain accounts, run the following command:

Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Service | Where-Object { $_.StartName -like "*$env:USERDOMAIN*" }

Make sure that you have enough free space

Keep your user profile size under 10 GB. Verify that the WorkSpace has only the user profile data that's required as part of the image. Also, verify that C:\ has free space equal to at least the user profile size plus 2 GB. For example, if the user profile size is 10 GB, then C:\ must have at least 12 GB of free space.

Check for pending updates

To prevent interruptions in the image creation process caused by Windows updates, check that WorkSpaces has the latest patches. WorkSpaces image creation can fail if Windows updates are missing or if the WorkSpace isn't updated with the latest patches.

Also, check whether there's a pending reboot for a Windows update. The image creation process fails when a reboot is pending.

Check for copy profile fails

For Windows 10 WorkSpaces, you must manually copy files from the user profile intended for the image to C:\users\default. This method can fail for the following reasons:

• The profile path for any of the folders within the user profile is longer than 261 characters.
• The profile folder lacks the required permissions. Make sure that you assign full permissions on the profile folder for the system and all application packages.
• Some Group Policy Objects (GPOs) restrict access to the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) certificate thumbprint when requested by Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) launch agents, EC2Config, or EC2Launch. In this case, move the WorkSpace to a new organizational unit (OU) with blocked inheritance and no policies applied. Then, create an image.

Linux WorkSpaces image creation fails

If Linux WorkSpace image creation fails, then make sure that your WorkSpace has the required configurations to create an image.

To use smart cards on Linux WorkSpaces with WorkSpaces Streaming Protocol (WSP) activated, see Activate smart cards for Linux WorkSpaces. To use smart cards on Linux WorkSpaces, you must make updates to your Linux WorkSpace before you create your image.

A new WorkSpace

A newly created WorkSpace takes approximately 20 minutes to move from the Pending state to the Available state. You can't create images when the WorkSpace is pending. Wait until the WorkSpace becomes Available before you create a custom image. If your WorkSpace is stuck in Pending, then see Why can't I create a new WorkSpace?

When you create a custom image on a newly create WorkSpace, you might encounter the following error: "An Error Has Occurred. You made an invalid selection. Please go back to through the steps again and validate your selections." To resolve this issue, use AWS CloudTrail to check details for the CreateWorkSpaces event. The error occurs when the image volume is larger than the maximum volume specified for the WorkSpace.

Other troubleshooting steps

If you still can't create a WorkSpaces image, then complete the following troubleshooting steps:

1. If your WorkSpace has a firewall turned on, then verify that the firewall isn't blocking any necessary ports. WorkSpaces requires certain ports to download the scripts used for image creation.
2. Reboot the WorkSpace to check that all AWS components are running updated versions.
3. To verify that the WSMan service is started and configured for automatic startup, run the Test-WSMan command.
4. Verify that the applications installed are Sysprep compatible.

For more information and prerequisites for custom image creation, see Create a custom WorkSpaces image and bundle for WorkSpaces Personal.

Related information

How do I create a WorkSpaces image?

Administer WorkSpaces Personal